Scottish salmon with cauliflower purée, beets and arugula pistou at the Rugby Grille. / William Cowger

Detroit Free Press Restaurant Critic

Brandon Zarb of Gastronomy in Southfield is a finalist in the Chaine des Rotisseurs national young chefs contest. / Gastronomy restaurant

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The Townsend Hotel may be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, but "new" is the operative word at its elegant Rugby Grille.

On Monday, the restaurant will unveil an almost entirely new menu and a new interior that reflects a more modern, sophisticated style.

The dining room remained under wraps this week, but Townsend managing director Steven Kalczynski describes its new ambience as one of "understated opulence." The goal," he says, "was not to completely transform the space but rather build upon (its) refined atmosphere."

The new décor will include Ralph Lauren herringbone tweed wall coverings, Ralph Lauren lighting fixtures, new rugs, new classic leather dining chairs, all new fine china and modern art by 20th-Century painter Joan Miro, Kalczynski says.

Other new features to be introduced Monday include an upgraded and expanded wine selection and iPad-based wine lists, which will allow guests to search for wines by various characteristics and find recommended pairings. The food menu will eventually be on iPads as well.

The wine list will offer about 200 selections, including 30 by the glass -- a larger number than before, says Jared Chorney, the Townsend's new food and beverage director. He has expanded the beer selection and is continuing to diversify the wine cellar, which now holds about 140,000 bottles.

Many of the Rugby's ingredients are Michigan-produced -- including lamb from Tirrell Centennial Farm in Charlotte and cheeses from dairies in Grand Rapids and Coopersville. Sayes says his produce will come from Michigan farms as well, when those fresh crops are in season.

The Townsend, a luxury AAA 4-Diamond property, is listed among Travel + Leisure's "World's Best Hotels." While much at the Rugby has been revamped for the hotel's 25th anniversary, neither the hotel nor restaurant would be the celebrated destinations they are without their veteran staffs, Kalczynski says.

He especially notes two employees who have been at the Townsend since it opened: original sales and marketing director Kitty Adler and catering director Joanie Sams. Sims has overseen weddings at the Townsend for so long, she's now handling them for the children of some of her early customers, Kalczynski says.

The Rugby has remained open during renovations by seating guests in the tea area and gallery adjoining the main dining room. Reservations are recommended at 248-642-5999 or www.townsendhotel.com (100 Townsend, Birmingham)

Win a food-court restaurant from Food Network

Here's your chance to win a food-court restaurant of your own for a year from Food Network.

The network is looking for two Michigan teams of two people each to compete on "Food Court Wars," a show hosted by celebrity chef and cooking teacher Tyler Florence and produced by British chef Gordon Ramsay.

The prize is a space in a Midland mall food court, rent-free for one year. Similar restaurants will be awarded in five other mid-size cities across the country. The six episodes will air later this year.

The two team members must have some kind of pre-existing relationship -- as spouses, friends, neighbors, coworkers or relatives, for example -- and their idea for a restaurant must reflect Michigan in some way, stresses the casting company conducting the search for contestants. Anyone can enter, including chefs.

Applications require bios, resumes, photos, concept descriptions and other information, all of which must be e-mailed to the casting company by April 3. For complete details and instructions, go to www.foodcourtwarscasting.com.

3 new venues sign up for Detroit Restaurant Week

The list of 19 restaurants participating in the upcoming Detroit Restaurant Week, April 19-28, includes three newcomers: Brizola, the high-end flagship restaurant at Greektown Casino Hotel; the handsomely appointed Santorini Estiatorio Greek restaurant in Greektown, and the casual Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina at the MGM Grand Detroit.

Once again, diners will be able to choose three courses at dinner for a fixed price of $30. Reservations are recommended and should be made directly with restaurants.

Whitney anniversary specials

The Whitney in Detroit is marking its 27th anniversary with a special three-course dinner menu and bottle of Trinity Oaks Collection wine for $100 per couple -- not including tax, tip and nonalcoholic beverages -- through March. On Wednesdays, guests can visit the refurbished Ghost Bar on the third floor, where $10 wine tastings are held from 5-7 p.m., and vocalist Adia Dobbins performs Thursdays through Saturdays. On the main floor, pianist Joel Seah entertains during dinner hours.

The restaurant at 4421 Woodward occupies a historic mansion built in the 1890s by lumber baron David Whitney. Reservations are recommended for the anniversary dinners: 313-832-5700 or www.thewhitney.com.

Midtown's Rodin launches brunch

Restaurateur Torya Blanchard has added Sunday brunch to the offerings at Rodin, her French-inspired small-plates restaurant and bar in Detroit's Midtown. The menu -- by chef and managing partner Kate Williams -- includes ricotta flapjacks, duck confit hash, chicken-and-waffles and a spicy pork piperade scramble, in addition to bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Sunday brunches also feature live entertainment by guitarist Steve Jarosz, whose style blends European and Latin influences. "Live entertainment is, in large part, what makes Rodin, Rodin," says Blanchard, who also owns Good Girls Go to Paris creperie.

Rodin, like Good Girls Go to Paris, is in the Park Shelton Building at 15 E. Kirby. (313-285-9218 and www.rodindetroit.com)

Chef wins regional title

Brandon Zarb, a chef at Gastronomy in Southfield, will compete for the Chaine des Rotisseurs' national Best Young Chef title in Chicago on June 8 after winning the international food-and-wine society's Midwest regional competition earlier this month. The U.S. contest is held in 10 geographic regions, each of which sends one person to the national competition.

The event involves a mystery basket of ingredients, which chefs must incorporate into a three-course meal for four people in four hours. Zarb, 25, is a graduate of Schoolcraft College in Livonia, whose chefs coached him in preparation for the event, he said.

Gastronomy, at 1 Towne Square in Southfield, is part of the Epicurean Group, which includes No. VI Chop House, Northern Lakes Seafood and Coach Insignia.

A few quick bites

• Bar Louie in Livonia's Laurel Park Place (37716 W. Six Mile) is capping its recent remodeling with a guest appreciation event tonight from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring wide selections of $3 drafts, $4 wines, $5 cocktails, half-price flatbreads and select appetizers, along with live entertainment and prizes. The Livonia location opened in 2007.

• WRIF (101.1 FM) and Atwater Brewery have teamed up to create a new beer that's coming to taps later this month. Called 101 WRIF Lager, it's a traditional German-style lager designed to appeal to "the hard-working people of Detroit," says Atwater owner Mark Rieth. The station and brewery will donate a portion of proceeds from sales to local charities, and the spent grain will be given to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for composting to enrich its gardens. To find bars serving it, go to www.WRIF.com.

• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is featuring an off-the-menu surf-and-turf special through April 7, offering a filet mignon and North Atlantic lobster tail, plus a starter course and side, for $37.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. The offer does not appear on the menu and is available only when guests request it. (323 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham; 17400 Haggerty, Livonia.)

• Burger King is upping its coffee ambitions with a new line of what it calls smooth, coffeehouse lattes from Seattle's Best Coffee. Now through Sunday, they're available for $1 each at participating restaurants. Besides the traditional style, they're available with vanilla, mocha and caramel flavors and with nonfat milk.

• Ann Arbor's new contemporary Vellum (209 S. Main) now has happy hours with bar snacks and reduced beverage prices. From 5-7 p.m. Sunday-Friday it features selections of $3 shots and beers and $5 wines and cocktails. It's also rolling out a new prix fixe pre-theater menu.